Jury Trials

Trials
allow two or more parties to
have their dispute settled by a
court. Some lawsuits are decided
by the judge alone;
others are decided by jury.
A jury is a body of ordinary
citizens sworn to make an
impartial decision based on the
evidence or information
presented during a trial.

Jurors
serve in two kinds of cases -
civil and criminal. In a civil
case one person or company - the
plaintiff - asks the court
to protect some right or to
help recover money or property
from another person or company -
the defendant. In a criminal
case the State of California -
the plaintiff -
charges that a person - the
defendant - committed a crime
and asks that the defendant be
fined or sent to jail or prison.

Jurors'
names are selected at random
from lists of registered voters
and individuals who have a
driver's license or
identification card issued by
the California Department of
Motor Vehicles.

What about my regular job?

Your
employer must let you off for
jury duty. Employers cannot
discharge an employee called for
jury duty if the employee gives
reasonable notice of the
summons. However, employers do
not have to pay for your
attendance at jury duty

You will
be paid by the court a Per Diem
of $15.00 per day beginning with
second day of jury service and
34 cents per mile, one-way only
beginning on the second day as
well. Jurors who are employed by
a federal, state, or local
government entity or by any
other public entity who receive
regular compensation and
benefits will not be paid Per
Diem.Please see
the
California Code Of Civil
Procedure Section 481.200 to
find out if your employer falls
in this category. For more
general information see
California Code Of Civil
Procedure Section 215.

General Information

If you
have received a Jury Summons,
you should call the night before
the day of your service to get
the status of your summons. The
recorded message will confirm
the date, time and place of
appearance or let you know if
your service is cancelled. If
your service is cancelled, you
do not have to appear.

Local
Number:
530-283-6440

Toll Free
Number:
888-229-0990

Do I have to serve Jury Duty?

Yes, you
have to serve jury duty. The law
states that inconvenience, loss
of income or business closure
are not reasons to be excused
from jury service. You may
request to be excused from jury
service if any of the following
apply:

You
are physically or mentally
incapacitated.

You
have a personal obligation
to care for a sick or aged
dependent.
Please note that this
in not the same as child
care, which is not a reason
to be excused.

You
are peace officer under P.C.
§ 830.1(a) or 830.2(a).

To be
excused due to physical or
mental incapacitation or a care
obligation you must submit a
doctor's letter of verification
and duration when you return
your jury summons.

Questions
or Concerns

If you have any
questions about your jury
service, please contact the
Office of the Jury Commissioner
at 530-283-6440 or toll free
888-229-0990, Monday through
Friday. You may also submit your
question in writing to the
following address: